Proactivity in Upgrading Your Competitiveness

Many significant changes to the construction industry, especially in the realm of technological evolution and adaptation, occur in resistance to industry trends (or with the looming threat of regulatory penalties) instead of as a wholehearted embrace of change. This is also true of the German Supply Chain Act, which will pressure many firms to adopt new technologies to remain competitive.

Long before your firm invests a single cent in technology, however, it needs to think harder about its processes and culture. Without a strong human factor in your technology, additional investments in technology will only yield diminishing returns. The first step to adapting to the developments that will emerge out of the German Supply Chain Act will be to adopt a proactive approach to technology and process adaptation. This involves: 

1. Reducing internal resistance and anxiety concerning new technology by having conversations, roundtables, dialogues, and other communications.
2. Planning capital outlays based on the specific workflows and dataflows unique to your firm instead of uncritically apeing industry examples or competitors  (Here’s a free datasheet on exploring the difference between dataflows and workflows).
3. Cultivating a long-term perspective amongst executives, managerial staff, project managers, as well as operations functions like Human Resources and Finance to work together on the project of adaptation and technology investment

Improving labour relations and esprit de corps between technical staff (modellers, planning engineers, surveyors), project managers, and on-site teams. Resistance, mentioned above, is also of two types that need to be dealt with using foresight: 

Internal resistance centred on intimidation due to the upgrading of technology and aversion to digital solutions. Overcoming internal resistance is usually simpler since firms have more control over the adoption process. This control facilitates an adoption track based on motivation, compulsory adoption, and training. 

External resistance, primarily from suppliers, centred on a lack of incentive to engage in reporting or tracking work (scanning QRs etc.) that is beyond the standard mandate of producing and delivering ordered elements and goods. Firms can overcome this with a combination of incentives and disincentives: incentives included monetary compensation as well as looking on the supplier favourably for future projects; disincentives included looking unfavourably upon suppliers for future projects. 

Get your free whitepaper from Geometrid on what the German Supply Chain Act is, how it may impact your firm, and how you can be prepared!